Dentist faces arraignment on manslaughter charge in connection with wife's death in Princeton

Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Published Wednesday January 1, 2014 at 4:12 pm

Updated Wednesday January 1, 2014 at 4:15 pm

WORCESTER— Roger Desilets Jr., a Worcester dentist, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Worcester Superior Court on manslaughter and assault charges in the 2011 death of his wife at the couple's Princeton home.

A grand jury returned indictments Dec. 13 charging the 69-year-old Dr. Desilets with manslaughter and assault and battery in the death of Kathleen Desilets, 65, whose body was discovered in the early-morning hours of Dec. 6, 2011, on the ground beneath a broken third-floor window at the couple's 20 Worcester Road, Princeton, home.

Mrs. Desilets died of blunt trauma of the torso with a laceration of the heart and fractures of the ribs and spine, according to a death certificate.

Dr. Desilets told police who responded to his 911 call that he and his wife of 44 years had gotten into an argument and that she had threatened to jump out of a window.

According to court documents, Dr. Desilets told investigators he and his wife had argued earlier over issues related to an extramarital affair he had. He said the quarrel led to a physical altercation during which he was struck by his wife.

He reportedly said he and his wife made up, but that another argument ensued after he made an "off-color" or "sexually demeaning" remark to her.

Investigators said Dr. Desilets related to them that his wife put on her robe and went upstairs to another bedroom. He said he later heard noises, went upstairs to investigate and found Mrs. Desilets smashing a window with a chair.

He said his wife then went through the window, either intentionally or as a result of the momentum of breaking the window.

Dr. Desilets said Mrs. Desilets was not intoxicated, had no history of mental illness and had never before threatened to kill herself or tried to do so.

Impounded court documents that were made public after the Telegram & Gazette obtained a ruling from Judge Barbara A. Lenk of the state Supreme Judicial Court included an interview with Dr. Anthony Montoya of UMass Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Montoya reported that Mrs. Desilets had a large hematoma on the back of her head and many bruises on her arms and legs that were in various stages of healing.

He said there was bruising on both upper arms with what appeared to be finger marks on the right arm. The doctor also said there were injuries to both eyes and the eyelid areas that were inconsistent with the hematoma to the head.

Dr. Montoya said there was no evidence of glass in the hair or on the body and no scratches or cuts. There was a small amount of dirt on her feet, according to the doctor.

Dr. Desilets' lawyer, Edward P. Ryan Jr., has said his client played no role in his wife's death and had been wrongly accused.

Prosecutors have not commented publicly about the allegations in the case.